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Friday, January 16, 2015

It's with great excitement that I bring you the cover reveal for Rachel Rossano's Honor! This book is great and I'm thrilled to be a part of its release!

–Book Blurb –

The Earl of Dentin excels in his position as Securer of the Realm. But the king’s order to pluck an orphaned child from a loving home unsettles Dentin. When a dark-eyed woman challenges his honor regarding the mission, Dentin finds himself unable to justify his actions or get her out of his mind. Something about her lack of fear intrigues him.

Lady Elsa Reeve attempts to avoid the marriage of convenience her brother and mother demand of her. She understands the need to pay off her brother’s massive debt. She only wants her family to consider her wishes in the process.

As Elsa becomes further entangled in a snare of her brother’s creating, only one man defends her. But can she trust Dentin, her unlikely champion, and his motives? With a murderer on the loose, Elsa’s fate in jeopardy, and a traitor plotting against the king, Dentin finds his priorities shifting in an unexpected direction.

– Author Bio –

Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virtue set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

It's with great excitement that I bring you the cover reveal for Rachel Rossano's The King of Anavrea! This book is special to me for three major reasons:

Rachel Rossano happens to be one of my favorite authors.

I beta read this story for Rachel. (Fabulous!)

I designed the cover. (Makes sense to do a cover reveal, huh?) ;)

Without further ado...

–Book Blurb –

A reluctant king, a blind queen, and a marriage that sparked a rebellion...

Ireic Theodoric, King of Anavrea, constantly battles with his council over who will run the country. When the council insists on a treaty with Sardmara, he agrees. However, the treaty quickly becomes an arranged marriage. Ireic offers up himself for the sake of Anavrea. But after he signs, no princess appears.

Lirth Parnan, only daughter of the King of Sardmara, survives alone in a cold, damp tower room. Baron Tor kidnapped her in an attempt to control her father. No one came to claim her. She suspects her father considers her flawed beyond use in his political games.

After five years of waiting, her hope of rescue wanes with her health.
After Ireic fights his way into Lirth’s tower, he realizes the depths of her father’s deception. Instead of being an answer to his problems, Lirth creates new ones. The council will not accept her as queen, but Ireic has sworn an oath that he will marry her. His choice could cost him his throne, perhaps his life.

– Author Bio –

Rachel Rossano is a happily married mother of three children. She spends her days teaching, mothering, and keeping the chaos at bay. After the little ones are in bed, she immerses herself in the fantasy worlds of her books. Tales of romance, adventure, and virture set in a medieval fantasy world are her preference, but she also writes speculative fantasy and a bit of science fiction.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Disclaimer #1: I am friends with the author. The author is also a cover client of mine (yes, I designed this cover). The version I read was the beta version (arc), so there might be some differences now of which I am not aware.

Summary: Lucianna has accepted the fact that she will never marry. There are things in her past she cannot undo, things that prevent marriage even if the right man comes along. When the right man does come along, it takes everything in her to resist him, and he refuses to take no for an answer.

The thing I love best about Joyce's books is the complete assurance that I will not encounter anything that makes me uncomfortable. I'll discover well-rounded characters, a well-researched corner of medieval history, and a sweet love story. This is certainly true of Loving Lucianna. And I love that this story is about a couple in the Autumn of their years.

I was immediately drawn to these characters and found myself eager to determine what this big secret was that prevented Lucianna from giving in to her desire to marry Sir Balduin. He was a charming man, and I felt the romance between them was believable and well-written. I enjoyed the flashback scenes, where we learned about young Lucianna. Ms. DiPastena did a fabulous job of easing the reader in and out of these scenes without disrupting the story flow. The end was satisfying.

I look forward to reading the final version of this story, which I'm sure is now a solid 5-pearl read. For the time being, I'll end this review here. :)

Disclaimer #2: I was not paid in any way for this review. The opinions expressed here are my own. The image does link to Amazon, and the link does contain my affiliate ID. I was given a copy of this book as a beta reader, not with the request for a review, but I decided to review it anyway. ;)

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

A Dagonian warrior (don't even THINK of calling him mer!) is sent on a mission by his king and encounters a woman who, according to Dagonian law, should die. Unfortunately for him, he likes her. He really, really likes her.

Oh my, oh my, oh my!! I started reading this book before bed one night, finally set it aside at 1am, picked it up again when I woke up at 6 and didn't set it down again until I was done. Seriously! I loved this book. ♥L.O.V.E♥ Fun and exciting! But that's just my opinion, so let's get down to brass tacks.

Hero: Very nicely done. Sexy, alpha male, ruthless yet merciful, not exactly what I consider a bad boy, but he definitely has a few bad boy qualities.

Heroine: Sweet, but strong, very believable. I think Ms. Kelly did a fantastic job with the inner turmoil of the heroine.

Storyline: Not too involved despite the "fantasy" element. Involved enough to be completely fascinating, however. There's some grit (which I appreciate), some heat, and a lot of heart.

Cons: Hmm. As far as the story goes, none that I recall. However, for this being a small-press published book (Clean Teen Publishing) rather than self, there were a lot more typos than I expected. Not quite enough that it ruined my joy in the story, but enough to make me notice.

Other points: My daughter took one look at the cover and asked if she could read the book. She's ten so my automatic reply was that I needed to read it first. After reading it, I informed her that she has to wait until she's at least 13. She's counting down the days now. ☺

In conclusion, would I read this again? Definitely. Will I buy the sequel and any other in the series from here on out? Um...YEAH! And guess what? You can grab a copy of this book for FREE by clicking on the cover photo above. That's right, the kindle edition of this book is free. Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: This review is for the first release of this book. I was not paid in any way for this review. The statements made here are my honest opinions. I acquired this e-book for free from Amazon at no urging from anyone. Except the cover. The cover made me download this book. Oh yes. LOVE the cover. Oh, last but not least, the link in the image above contains an Amazon affiliate ID. Any purchase made through the link will result in a small commission for me. If you don't want that to happen, simply strip the ID from the link and refresh the page. I think I covered everything.☺

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Rachel Rossano has been my favorite historical fantasy author every since I first met her on Goodreads years ago. She's one of my favorite authors, hands-down!

But what, you may wonder, is historical fantasy?

The majority of Rachel's books take place in completely made up places but they have a very strong historical feel to them. There is never magic or strange creatures.

Rachel is joining us today to answer a few questions, some of which may seem strange to some of you. For Rachel and I, this is a normal, everyday conversation. Enjoy!

I'm so excited to have you here with us, Rachel, to answer a few of the questions I've been dying to ask! And I am so appreciative of the fascinating guest posts you've recently done for this blog. (For those of you who may have missed them, you can find them HERE and HERE.) Let's not keep our readers waiting any longer!

Jaimey/Laura: Let's start by talking about your books. Which of your books is your favorite?

Rachel Rossano: Oh, that is like asking which of my children is my favorite child. Each of them is different and I love them each for different reasons. I am most enthralled with Duty at the moment, which is to be expected since that one is the newest, the shiniest, and my best work so far. But Wren comes in close second, with many others, including my current project (Diaspora), moving up the ranks.

J/L: I'm sure many of our readers can relate to that, especially as so many of them are writers too. Are the names of your characters important?

RR: Some of them are important. Like choosing my heroine’s name when writing Duty became a long and difficult process. She wouldn’t reveal herself to me until she had a name that fit her personality. Brielle means “God is my might.” Her family name, Solarius, is more of a nod to her hair color. The name means “of the sun.” Red hair runs in the family, though I don’t really mention that in the novel. Strong, fiery, wise, and red-headed, Brielle’s name grew to fit her better with each chapter.

Other characters, like my hero Lord Irvaine, burst forth almost completely developed and clear, title and first name included. His title is based on the area he oversees, but I chose his first name, Tomas, because of the sound. Also, it is traditional with a twist of unusualness to fit his world and his character. Although Tomas can give the appearance of all the attributes expected of a nobleman. Upon closer inspection, you discover he is very different than the blue-bloods around him.

J/L: Interesting. I've had the same things happen. A character can sort of burst in, already named and fully formed, and then others are very private, only willing to share once they're sure you're able to portray them accurately. I love that about writing! Continuing on the subject of characters, have you ever replied to a character out loud while you were in a crowded room?

RR: In a crowded room, not usually. Out loud, occasionally. In my head, all the time. Am I nuts, most likely a bit, but aren’t we all?

J/L: I can certainly relate to that and even our non-writer readers can too, I'm sure. ;O) Moving on to a slightly different, though still related, subject, Duty's cover is so beautiful! Who designed it?

RR: I did. Book cover design has become a bit of a third or fourth hobby for me. My frustrated artist side revels in exploring and trying out new things to create a visual taste of the story beneath the cover.

J/L: You are very good! If I didn't do cover design myself I would hire you! Heck, I still might. ;O) In regard to the "darker" side of being a published author, how do you react to a bad review of one of your books?

RR: I look at the source, analyze the reasons the reader gives for not liking it, and then evaluate whether or not I need to change anything I am doing. Sometimes I do. More often I don’t. Then I try to move on because I can’t please everyone.

J/L: I believe that's the hardest lesson an author has to learn, that we can't please everyone. It becomes a bit of a chant, a daily reminder. It still hurts when someone dislikes one of our babies but the reminder does help. On that note, what is the most demeaning thing a reader has said about your work?

RR: A reviewer once accused one of my books of lacking depth, using too many distracting -ly words, and said she just didn’t get it. It took me a few days to shake free of that one. Probably because she was partially right, about the -ly words.

J/L: Ooo, ouch! It hurts so much more when we realize they might have a point. OK, let's drop this serious subject and get to the really important questions. Who is your favorite super hero?

RR: At the moment, Captain America is my favorite, but it is only at the moment. I watch a lot of superhero movies. Mr. Fantastic, Batman, the Phantom, and a couple others come to mind as well.

J/L: I lean more toward the anti-heroes, lol. Wolverine is my all-time favorite and has been since I was a kid. Now, if you had a pet snail that could magically grant wishes, what would you name it?

RR: I would name it Gertrude, just because.

J/L: That is the BEST answer, ever. Thank you so much for joining us today and letting us have a glimpse into the quirky mind that creates such wonderful, romantic stories. It has been great fun!

About the book:

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a winter of starvation if they do not find a solution soon.

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king. When that same king demands Tomas marry the impoverished daughter of the late Lord Wisten, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty: a novel of Rhynan follows their journey from strangers to friends as they face complications from their pasts and the shaky politics of a changing regime. Then Brielle is implicated in her cousin’s treasonous activities. Can a marriage of duty survive treason?

Author of a growing stack of novels, novellas, and short stories, Rachel Rossano balances her time between the chaos of raising and homeschooling her three children and the world of drama and high adventure in her head. With her faithful husband and chief consulting editor by her side, she dreams of many more adventures to come in both of her double lives.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

What does it take to make a strong heroine? Guest blogger Rachel Rossano has a list of characteristics she feels are necessary. Take a look and let us know what you think.

When writing my latest novel, Duty, I asked the question, what makes a quality heroine? After a bit of brainstorming, I came up with a list. Here are a few of the attributes that jumped out at me.

Strength - By strength, I do not refer to her ability to talk tough, kick someone’s teeth in, or do stupid things to prove she is one of the boys. A woman who recognizes her strengths and weaknesses and acts within them is a strong woman. I would prefer following the story of a heroine who faces moral and physical challenges with perseverance and a willingness to work toward a solution. Choosing to make a stand takes more strength than seeking out trouble.

Wisdom - Just because she is the fairer sex does not mean she should be foolish. I have read so many books where the plot depends on the heroine (or another character) making an obvious mistake. A heroine should demonstrate wisdom, the ability to see things objectively and to act on more than just her emotions. Common sense would be a nice addition as well.

Tenacity - She refuses to give up. Circumstances back her into a corner. The villain holds her in his control. The hero is nowhere to be seen. Does she weep and wait for rescue? No, she looks for a solution on her own. No matter how dire the situation, she holds onto hope and continues to fight. A bit of tenacity in a heroine is a must.

Maturity in handling emotions - Hysterics never accomplished anything except, perhaps, annoying the hero. I am not saying she must be a stoic or a robot. She is an emotional being and her reactions to her environment, other characters, and, especially, the hero drives the story. Letting her grow angry, grieve, and love without losing her common sense will make the story all the more real to the reader.

Brielle Solarius, the heroine of Duty, finds herself in trouble. Not just her, but her whole village, face a long winter and few supplies. She tries to make the best of the situation, but knows that her half measures are not going to save them. A band of warriors rides into their midst. She wonders what they hope to gain raiding a starving village. Then one of them claims to be her husband.

What would the heroine I described above do?

About the book:

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a winter of starvation if they do not find a solution soon.

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king. When that same king demands Tomas marry the impoverished daughter of the late Lord Wisten, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty: a novel of Rhynan follows their journey from strangers to friends as they face complications from their pasts and the shaky politics of a changing regime. Then Brielle is implicated in her cousin’s treasonous activities. Can a marriage of duty survive treason?

About the author:
Author of a growing stack of novels, novellas, and short stories, Rachel Rossano balances her time between the chaos of raising and homeschooling her three children and the world of drama and high adventure in her head. With her faithful husband and chief consulting editor by her side, she dreams of many more adventures to come in both of her double lives.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

What characteristics do you consider essential for the perfect hero? Please welcome guest blogger Rachel Rossano as she discusses the heroic attributes she feels are the most important.

Fictional heroes come in many shapes, sizes, and personalities. Some are easy to love while others we love to hate. While writing Duty, I spent some time mulling over some of the characteristics I find attractive about my favorite heroes in fiction. Here are a few of them.

Strength - Not the rippling muscle kind of strength, though that is nice in a hero, I am referring to strength of character. A good hero is a man of morals and steadfastness. Before you start protesting that these attributes might make him a bit boring, consider what he would be without them. A character who doesn’t value ethics and a code of right and wrong cannot be relied upon to be faithful.

Confidence - Decisiveness and a sense of self-reliance are two great characteristics in a hero. Following the story of a man who has confidence in his own abilities usually converts into a fast paced plot. Such men are not typically prone to waiting for someone else to save them. They also tend to actively participate in the course of their own story. They take control. They act. Whether a cerebral professor or a well-trained man of action, the hero needs to be confident in his ability to make decisions.

Conscience - To balance the decisive nature of our hero, he needs to have a strong conscience. He considers the repercussions of his actions, both to himself and others. He should be willing to admit he made a mistake when something doesn’t go as he expects. When someone gets hurt, he tries to help.

Selflessness - In this world of self-centered people, those who live for others stand apart. Genuine caring toward someone other than himself can be a good sign that he will be a good husband for the heroine. Without at least some measure of selflessness, the hero will expect the heroine to cater to his every whim without accounting for her needs. Hardly a happily ever after we dream of for her.

Tomas Dyrease, the hero of Duty, stands at a turning point. His whole life has been devoted to obedience and loyalty to one man, first his liege lord and now his king. This same man now demands something Tomas is not certain he can give. Torn between his marriage vows and his loyalty oath, Tomas must choose which to honor.

What would you consider the most important attribute of a hero?

About the book:

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a winter of starvation if they do not find a solution soon.

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king. When that same king demands Tomas marry the impoverished daughter of the late Lord Wisten, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty: a novel of Rhynan follows their journey from strangers to friends as they face complications from their pasts and the shaky politics of a changing regime. Then Brielle is implicated in her cousin’s treasonous activities. Can a marriage of duty survive treason?

About the author:
Author of a growing stack of novels, novellas, and short stories, Rachel Rossano balances her time between the chaos of raising and homeschooling her three children and the world of drama and high adventure in her head. With her faithful husband and chief consulting editor by her side, she dreams of many more adventures to come in both of her double lives.

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Review Requests

I am currently not accepting books for review. I am a mood reader and I won't take a book that I'm not in the mood to read since it skews my view in an unnecessarily harsh direction. This doesn't mean it won't appeal at a later date. I'll try to update this section with my current reading mood. Thank you! ♥